Secret Identities (Or Lack Thereof)
by DragonKey27
Summary: Wally fully expected to die when he took off for the arctic. What he didn't expect was to be flung into a universe where there is no Team and no Justice League, only a ragtag group of heroes who call themselves The Avengers. How will they react to the presence of a superhero from beyond their universe? And more importantly, will Wally ever make it home? Will overlap with Iron Man 3
1. Endgame

**I do not own Young Justice or the Avengers. They belong to Warner Brothers and Marvel respectively. All credit for existing characters goes to their respective creators.**

**Prologue: Endgame:**

North Magnetic Pole

June 20, 2016

13:53 UTC

"It's no good, Barry," Wally said to his uncle as he attempted to grab the boy's shoulder, only for his hand to pass right through.

_This is it then, _Kid Flash thought to himself. _I'm going to die. _But still he kept running. He ran for his family. For his friends. For the Team. For Artemis. He kept going knowing that if he stopped, the world was doomed.

"Artemis is so gonna kill me for this," he continued. "And don't even get me started on mom and dad."

"Kid?" Flash called out to his nephew, afraid of what was about to happen.

"Just tell them," Wally replied bluntly. "Okay?"

"KID!" Barry shouted. And in a flash of light, Wally West was gone. Before he lost consciousness, there was only one thought in his head: _I'm sorry, Artemis. _

"They did it!" M'gann shouted as vortex disappeared and the six superheroes ran (or flew in the young martian's case) over to the two exhausted speedsters kneeling in the spot where the chrysalis of The Reach's MFD once loomed.

"It's Over!" she cheered as she helped Bart to his feet.

"Congratulation!" Aqualad said as he walked over to the Flash to do the same. "You have s – "

"WAIT!" Artemis interrupted as she looked around, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. "Where's Wally?"

"Artemis," Barry began as he walked over to the young woman, mentally preparing himself to say to his nephew's girlfriend the words that would shatter her heart and torment him for the rest of his life. "He wanted me to tell you – '

"No," she gasped as she realized what he was about to say. "No," she repeated, almost a whisper this time. Hoping against all odds that he wouldn't say what she was afraid he would say. _Please don't say it, _she thought to herself._ Tell me he's trapped in another dimension or something, but please don't say __**that**__. _

"He loved you," Barry finished as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Artemis dropped to her knees in tears as M'gann raced over to comfort her grieving friend. A few feet away, Aqualad, Superboy, and Nightwing exchanged glances as they mourned their fallen brother in silence, listening to the sound of his girlfriend's anguished sobs echo across the arctic tundra.

* * *

><p>North Magnetic Pole<p>

June 20

13:59

The tranquil calm of the Arctic Circle was broken by a crack of thunder and a flash of light. Within seconds, a young redhead stumbled out of the light before falling face first into the snow. Clad in red and yellow, a quiet groan escaped the young man's lips as he lay there in the cold.


	2. The Boy In The Ice

**Chapter 1: The Boy In The Ice:**

S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier 64

June 20, 2012

14:00 P.M. UTC

"Sir!" Commander Maria Hill's voice called out from among the vast array of computers spread across the flying aircraft carrier's bridge. "Sensors just picked up an energy surge in the arctic. Source is unknown."

_Great, _Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D. thought to himself as he turned to face his second in command. _It's barely been a month since the Chitauri invasion and now we have something else to deal with. _

"Is it the Bifrost or the Tesseract?" he asked.

"Negative," was her blunt reply. "These energy readings aren't consistent with either, nor are they consistent with any terrestrial energy source. Shall I send a team to investigate?"

"I'm calling in Stark," he decided after a moment of contemplation. "If this thing turns out to be a threat, I want to have the big guns at the ready."

"Yes sir," she said as she began issuing orders to the carrier's science and medical teams in the event that Stark returned to the mobile base with something to study or heal.

* * *

><p>North Magnetic Pole<p>

June 20, 2012

14:30 P.M. UTC

"Why did Fury call me in anyway?" Tony asked, more to himself than to anybody else. Unfortunately, Jarvis already had a comeback for that.

"Because, sir," the A.I. replied sarcastically, "He wanted you to be Earth's advanced guard in the event that these energy spikes were the work of a hostile force."

"Right," the billionaire mumbled to himself as they flew across the arctic tundra towards the North Pole. "What does he expect us to find anyway?" As if on cue, the Mark VIII suit's sensors picked up a faint life sign as they neared the pole. "Well I'll be," he said aloud in shock. "There really is something out there. Any clue what it is, Jarvis?'

"Scans indicate that it is human, sir." To confirm Jarvis's statement, a streak of red and yellow greeted the armored hero as he landed at the coordinates Fury provided. At his feet lay a young man, possibly in his early twenties by the look of him. He was unconscious and wearing a gaudy looking outfit that looked like it was made of Spandex. _Well he's a superhero wannabe. That much is obvious, _Tony thought to himself as he lifted the unconscious boy over his shoulders. _The question we need to ask when he wakes up is how he wound up in the arctic of all places Well, I'd better get him to the helicarrier before he freezes to death. I should probably call ahead though. _

"Fury, I'm headed for the Helicarrier." He announced as soon as the call went through.

"What did you find?" Fury asked, clearly annoyed by the man's bluntness. _Strange, _Tony thought, _I've always considered bluntness to be one of my best qualities. Anyway, back on track._

"A wannabe superhero playing dress-up," Tony replied with just a hint of his usual wit showing through despite the seriousness of this kid's situation. "Wearing spandex and everything."

"Really!?" Fury asked incredulously. _He's probably disappointed that it's something simple as opposed to a second alien invasion, _Tony thought_. Safe to say, I think we're okay for a while considering we just beat back the Chitauri. Surely that should make some noise in the intergalactic community_.

"Would I really do this over the phone?" Tony snapped.

"Alright, bring him here for medical attention. Hill and I will question him."

"You mean interrogate him, right?" Tony asked. "Come on, Nick, you don't need to be so paranoid."

"Just get him here in one piece and we'll work out the rest once he wakes up." Fury snapped back.

"Roger that," Tony replied without a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he flew the unconscious redhead to safety.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, the title of this chapter is an Avatar reference. Reviews are welcome and appreciated.<strong>


	3. Interview

**Chapter 2: Interview:**

S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier 64

June 20, 2012

15:00 UTC

The first thing that Wally realized as he opened his eyes was that he was somehow alive. Why else would he be lying in a hospital bed? The second thing he realized was that he was aboard a ship of some kind, as the presence of hatches in place of doors seemed to indicate. How he had survived baffled him, but what confused him was the lack of any windows in the room. _The real question, _he thought to himself, _is if I was rescued by the Team, the bad guys, or someone completely different._

His mental speculation was interrupted by a loud squeak as the hatch opened and in stepped a dark-skinned man with an eye patch over one eye and wearing a trench coat. He was followed by a brown-haired woman who appeared close to the same age as Black Canary. They approached him with an air of trepidation that indicated that they were unsure of what to do with him. The man with the eye patch spoke first.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Surprised I'm still alive, honestly," Wally replied.

"Who are you?" the man continued.

"Kid Flash," he answered dryly, clearly irritated that even after he'd hung up the suit, people **still **couldn't remember his hero name. "How is it that nobody gets the name right?" he asked himself aloud.

"Never heard of you," the man said, clearly just as confused as Wally was. "Which is saying something considering that no wannabe super hero ever escapes our notice."

"Hey," Wally retorted, "I've been in the hero game since I was thirteen." This seemed to surprise his two guests, who remained silent for several minutes before the dialogue resumed.

"How exactly did you end up unconscious in the arctic?" the woman interjected. Wally narrowed his eyes at the question, catching on to the fact that he was being interrogated. Deciding that no harm could come from being honest (at least for now), he answered her question

"I got zapped trying to stop a Magnetic Frequency Disruptor planted by the Reach."

"What is.. The Reach?" the man asked incredulously.

"Have you guys been living under a rock for the past three months?" Wally replied bluntly, surprised that they seemed unaware of the Reach's ongoing invasion. "They've been all over the news with their whole image of benevolent neighbors as they subvert control of earth from the shadows while they discredit the Justice League in public."

"Justice League?" It was the woman who asked this time. _Are they serious?_ Wally thought to himself.

"How have you guys NOT heard of the Justice League?" he snapped.

"Probably because they don't exist," the woman shot back. "At least not here."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, growing concerned as a theory began to piece itself together in his mind.

"An hour ago our sensors detected an unknown energy surge in the arctic circle," the man replied. "When we sent a team to investigate, they found you unconscious in the snow. We think that energy surge may have been a dimensional rift that teleported you from your universe to ours." A look of understanding crossed Wally's face, signaling to his interrogators that he had reached the same conclusion himself. "One last thing," the man continued. "Can you tell me the date when you were "zapped"?"

"June 20th, 2016," Wally replied, as the implications of his situation began to weigh down on his shoulders.

"We'll be back soon," the man finished as he and the woman turned walked back towards the hatch.

When they were gone, Wally reached into one of the compartments on his gloves and pulled out a photo of the founding members of the team, taken shortly after they had liberated the League from Savage's control. In it, Kaldur and Raquel stood on opposite sides of the frame while the three couples stood together holding hands with their significant other. Dick was with Zatanna, M'gann was with Conner, and he and Artemis were together.

"I'm so sorry, babe," he whispered quietly as he broke down in tears at the thought that he might never see his family, friends, and girlfriend again.


	4. Discussions

**Chapter 3: Discussions:**

S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier 64

June 20th, 2012

15:05 UTC

"So what do you all make of him?" Fury asked as he and Hill entered the bridge to find all of the Avengers bar Thor (who was still on Asgard and could not be reached) seated around the conference table listening to the director's conversation with "Kid Flash."

"I'm not going to comment on the theory of how he got here," Captain America began as he leaned back in his chair, "Because I'm not a science expert, but-"

"I will, though," Tony interrupted. "It's certainly a plausible theory. If he was truly zapped by as much energy as he claims, that energy could have been what opened the rift in the first place."

"My concern is the fact that he supposedly started his superhero career, if he really is one, when he was still a kid," Steve continued.

"Maybe his universe has different standards than ours," Natasha Romanov suggested as she paused the footage. "But I think the question we need to ask," She added as she looked directly at Fury, "is what S.H.I.E.L.D. plans to do with him."

All eyes were on Director Fury now, waiting to find out just what S.H.I.E.L.D. had planned for the boy. Sensing their curiosity, Fury took a deep breath before he explained.

"Hill and I intend to keep his existence a secret from the Council, because you know how they'll react when they find out that it's possible, thought extremely difficult, to travel between universes." The rest of the group responded with nods of understanding, remembering the World Security Council's willingness to sacrifice thousands of civilian lives to achieve victory in the Battle of New York. They could only image how they would react to inter-universal travel.

"Because of the Council's inevitable overreaction," he continued, "we intend to find a way to send him home as soon as possible."

"I agree," Steve replied. "He obviously has family and friends who probably think he's dead, so we should definitely help him get back."

"He's also got a girl waiting for him by the sound of things," Tony added, recalling the little breakdown the kid had when he looked at the photo in his pocket.

"In the meantime," Fury continued, "we intend to offer him a job at S.H.I.E.L.D., and by extension, a spot on The Avengers, to keep him out of trouble until we can send him back."

"Despite my misgivings that he started so young," Steve began, "I'm not going to object to adding him to the team since he's only a couple years younger than me. Physically, at least."

"No objections from me either," Tony added. Fury looked around the table, as each Avenger gave a nod confirming their support of Kid Flash's addition to their roster.

"Very well," Fury replied. "Hill," he said as he turned to his second-in-command. "Bring him up here."

"Yes sir," she said as she walked back towards the medical bay.


	5. Job Offer

**Fury's explanation of S.H.I.E.L.D. is partially quoted from the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Job Offers <strong>

S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier 64

June 20th 2012

15: 20 PS UTC

Wally guessed that his "captors" had no intention of harming him, if the lack of restraints was anything to go by. He also guessed that they wanted to recruit him for whatever reason. Considering that he knew nothing about this group or who they were, he decided to play along until he had an opportunity to get out of there. _Not like I have anywhere to go, _he thought to himself as they walked through the corridors. _Since the Justice League obviously doesn't exist in this universe, I doubt I could just go up to Wayne manor – if it even exists – and ask to speak to Batman. _His current train of thought however, was lost the moment he set foot on the bridge.

His theory of being on a ship of some kind was confirmed by the large, floor-to-ceiling window in front of him, beyond rows of technicians manning computers most likely responsible for piloting the craft. His attention is then drawn to a conference table near the door, and the five figures seated beyond it. First is a red-headed woman dressed in a black cat suit. To her right is a man with a military haircut wearing a sleeveless leather vest. Opposite the woman are two men, one in an olive green suit and the other in a black T-Shirt. At the head of the table was a blonde man who was clearly a superhero if his outfit was anything to go by, dressed in a costume decorated with the colors of the American flag. As he looked past the table, he saw the man with the eyepatch standing near a command post.

As Wally walked into the bridge area, the one-eyed man turned around and gestured towards the table.

"Have a seat," he said. Wally took a seat across from the red, white, and blue superhero. "Hill," he continued, "take the helm."

"Yes sir," the woman, Hill apparently, replied as she walked to take the man's place at the ship's command center.

"I think it's time we were properly introduced," the man turned his attention to Wally. "I'm Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"S.H.I.E.L.D?" Wally asked, confused as to what Fury meant.

"It's short for Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division," Fury began. "We're an international military and counter-terrorism intelligence agency. We handle the things that are beyond the capabilities of normal law enforcement and militaries. Weapon smuggling, alien invasions, a radiologist developing X-Ray vision. You name it, we deal with it."

"And what does S.H.I.E.L.D. want with me exactly?" Wally asked, hoping for an honest answer.

"All we want," Fury continued, "is to get you home."

"What's the catch?" Wally was clearly suspicious of any strings attached to this offer.

"No catch," Hill called as she stepped away from the command post and returned to the conference table. "The council responsible for overseeing us is made up of morons who thought nuking Manhattan was a better idea to end an alien invasion than a superhero team-up. Given that, we have no desire to find out how they'll react to the idea of inter-dimensional travel."

"Okay," the speedster replied, satisfied with the answer but still suspicious nonetheless. "But that's going to take a while to achieve. What will I do in the meantime?"

"We'd like to offer you a job at S.H.I.E.L.D. to keep you busy and off the organization's radar," Fury added. "As for food and housing, we're offering you a spot on the Avengers, our resident superhero team over here," he continued as he indicated the people seated around the table.

Wally sat in silence as he thought Fury's offer over. He certainly wasn't going anywhere for a while, and he might as well get a job while he waited, if the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was being truthful about his intention to send Wally home. Working with fellow superheroes wouldn't do any harm either, especially since he'd need to adjust to this universe. Taking a deep breath, he made his decision.

"I don't have any other option do I?" He asked as he looked up at his new boss.

"We'll have to forge documents and credentials to hide your extra-universal origins from the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D." Fury nodded in approval. "We'll also provide all the gear you'll need, plus a uniform if you want. Now I think it's time the Avengers introduced themselves. Names and code-names."

And with that, the other heroes sounded off. First was the man obviously dressed for the role.

"Steve Rogers. Captain America."

Next was the guy dressed in leather.

"Clint Barton. Hawkeye."

After him was the red-head.

"Natasha Romanov. Black Widow."

Followed by the man in the green suit.

"Bruce Banner. The Hulk."

And finally, the guy with the T-shirt.

"Tony Stark. Iron Man."

You guys really don't care about keeping your identities a secret, do you?" Wally asked as Stark put his hand down.

"Well," Stark began, "Banner's got the perfect cover already and the two master assassins over there," he indicated Barton and Romanov, "maintain cover on principle. The rest of us have never had opportunity or reason to keep our identities a secret."

"Look who's talking," Rogers retorted.

"Anyway," Fury interrupted before the two power houses came to blows again. "You should probably take him back to the tower and get a room set up for him."

"Forget room," Stark replied. "I'm giving him a whole floor. Come on guys," He continued as he gestured to the Avengers, "let's get this induction party started. We can trade origin stories when we get back to HQ."

Wally nervously followed his new teammates as they left the bridge, his thoughts returning to his family and friends as they walked through corridor after corridor and down several flights of stairs. He doubted he'd be able to get home for a while. Unless he was able to send a message home, he'd have to be prepared for the possibility that Artemis will have moved on by the time he gets back. The thought made his heart break all over again, but his train of thought hit a brick wall when he walked out the next hatch and found himself standing on the deck of a _flying aircraft carrier. _If his jaw could stretch any farther, it'd probably hit the deck.

"Breathtaking isn't it?" Banner smiled as the Avengers and their guest walked over to a waiting quinjet with a large letter A painted on the side.

"It's a FLYING! AIRCRAFT! CARRIER!" Wally's shock at such advanced technology was evident in his voice. _Maybe it won't take so long to get home, _he thought.

"Yeah," Captain America added. "Technology never ceases to amaze, does it?" The three continued to discuss the technological capabilities of the Helicarrier as they flew back to the Tower, the rest of the group already warming up to their newest, if temporary, member.

* * *

><p><strong>If you're wondering why S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and the Avengers are referred to by their last names,in the story, It's because Wally doesn't know them on a personal level the way he does his friends on the Team. As he grows closer to the Avengers, the story will reflect that by using their first names more often.<strong>


	6. Settling In

**The info on the back-stories of Wally, the Justice League, and the Justice Society of America came from the Young Justice Wikia and by extension AskGreg on Station8**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5: Settling In:<strong>

Avengers Tower

June 20th, 2012

16:00 PM EST

"Welcome to Avengers Tower," Stark proclaimed dramatically as the six heroes walked into the half-finished living room of the tower from two entry points: Wally and the rest of the Avengers from the elevator, and Stark from a door above the bar. The lounge area had been under construction since the Battle of New York, so there were scaffolds and all manner of construction equipment all over the room. "Sorry about the mess," he continued. "The tower was initially designed as an office for Stark Industries, my family's company, but after the Chitauri invasion, we've begun converting it into our HQ, so we're still under construction."

"This is incredible," Wally gasped, impressed by the tower and barely even acknowledging the construction.

"So now that we're back at our home base," Captain America began, "why don't you start by telling us your real name?"

Wally paused for a moment to think. He knew that it'd get old having the Avengers call him Kid Flash all the time, but he didn't necessarily want to reveal his secret identity. On the other hand, nobody on the team really had one to begin with, so it was probably okay.

"Wally," he replied as they walked over to the sofa and chairs. "Wally West."

"So, Wally," Stark called out as he poured himself a beverage at the bar while the rest of the group sat down. "Do you eat Shwarma?"

"Seriously, Tony?" Rogers asked as the man walked over to join them. "I think we should ask him what he can do before we go all out on the welcome party."

"It's okay," Wally replied. "I'll eat anything. Just make sure you get enough to feed ten people in addition to you guys."

When all he got from his hosts was confused looks, he explained.

"I have super speed," he continued, "so I burn a lot of calories running a few m.p.h. shy of the speed of sound." He grinned when Rogers, Stark, and Banner's jaws dropped at his statement and all Romanov and Barton could say was "impressive."

"Alright then," Stark said as he finally snapped out of his shock at Wally's statement. "J.A.R.V.I.S.!" he shouted to nobody in particular. "Call in an order of fifteen baskets of Shwarma, then get the armor ready for takeoff."

"Of course, sir." Wally almost jumped out his skin as a British-accented voice answered from nowhere. He was used to having an automated announcement system in a superhero's base like the Justice League used, but this surprised him.

"Who was that?" He asked as he looked around for the source of the voice.

"Oh, that's just J.A.R.V.I.S.," Romanov answered as Stark put down his drink and walked back toward the door from which he entered the room. "He's the A.I. that runs the tower, Tony's mansion, the user interface for the Iron Man armor…"

"Cool," Wally said, his eyes wandering though he heard her explanation. He was looking out the window watching Stark walk down a narrow walkway that extended over the street below, mechanical arms attaching the red armor he wore when they left the Helicarrier to his body piece by piece as he walked. When the armor was complete, he just took off.

"So…" Wally began as he turned back to the four other superheroes seated around the coffee table, unsure of what to say next. "Five seems like a small roster for a superhero alliance.

"Six actually," Barton replied. "Thor's off on Asgard at the moment."

"Thor," Wally said, making sure he heard them right. "As in the Norse god of thunder?"

"Yep," Romanov added. "Although in our universe at least, the gods and monsters of Norse mythology are just aliens with advanced tech and extraordinarily long lifespans instead of actual deities."

"Wow," was all he could say in reply, continually amazed by the differences between this universe and his own.

"As for the small roster," Rogers added, "we just came together to save the earth form an alien invasion a little over a month ago."

"How many superheroes does your universe's team-up have?" Banner asked, curious about what the new kid's world was like.

"Twenty three on the League and 13 on the Team when I left."

"Team?" Rogers was the one who asked this time.

"Some of the League members took protégés, and after a few years we became the Legaue's covert ops division. We'd handle the covert stuff that politics would prevent the league from doing themselves."

"And you all started when you were teenagers?" Rogers was clearly a little concerned by the idea of heroes starting so young.

"Some of us did. The rest got involved either before that or after they finished High School. And it was always through a Justice League member. I can't really go into detail on the backstories of some of them though because I don't know them that well, but for the most part the Justice League members usually fit into four general categories: billionaires with too much time on their hands, scientists who got superpowers from a lab accident, aliens who migrated to earth, and other races that have been living on earth for as long as humanity has like Atlantians and Amazons."

"Atlantis exists in you universe?" Barton asked in credulously.

"Yep," Wally replied.

"What did I miss?" Stark shouted as he walked back into the room carrying several take-out bags full of shwarma.

"Just discussing the differences between his universe and ours," Banner replied.

"And?" he asked, hoping to hear what juicy bits he'd missed.

"There are six times as many heroes in his universe, the youngest ones started when they were teenagers and handle covert-ops, and Atlantis exists," Banner answered breathlessly.

"Aw man," Stark continued as he passed out food to everybody. "I miss all the good stuff."

"So how were the Justice Leage and this cover-ops team founded?" Barton asked as they started dinner.

"Well," Wally began as he set down his food. "The seven founders of the Justice League came together to defeat an alien invasion, kind of like how you guys did, in 2003. Initially, the League kept its existence a secret until their hideout was discovered and attacked by the bad guys three years later. After that, the league went public and expanded their roster gradually. Some of them, like Batman, Aquaman, Green Arrow, and the Flash, ended up taking on protégés to take their places when they retired from hero work. I was the protégé of The Flash, who's also my uncle. In 2010, Aqualad, Robin - Batman's protégé; Speedy – Green Arrow's protégé; and I were set up to start the path to League membership, unfortunately, the League was doing things in baby steps and we were tired of just playing tag-along while they fought crime on a nightly basis."

"Superheroes fight crime in your dimension?" Stark asked, intrigued.

"Yeah," Wally replied. "We pretty much save the world by day and lock up burglars, muggers, and rapists by night. Anyway, back to the story: So Speedy went solo and changed his hero name to Red Arrow. Robin, Aqualad, and I went off on our own and busted a genetics lab in D.C. doing illegal cloning. When the League showed up to help with the clean-up, we told them in no uncertain terms that we'd be doing this kind of stuff with or without them." Wally noticed the concerned looks on Banner and Roger's faces and could tell what they were thinking.

"So the League came up with a compromise: we'd do all the covert ops stuff on their terms in exchange for the recognition that we were ready for bigger fish than bank robbers and muggers. So we pretty much kept that up for five years, more teen heroes came on, and others left. Some moved up to the Justice League; Some, like my girlfriend and I, retired so we could go to college and settle down; And yes, a few of them died."

"I'm still uncomfortable about having teenagers in life-or-death situations like that," Rogers commented when Wally finished explaining the story of the Justice League and the Team.

"With all due, respect, Captain," Wally began.

"You don't need to be so formal kid," the superhero replied. "You can call me Steve when we're not out saving the world."

"Alright, Steve," Wally continued. "It wasn't something we were forced into. We all chose that life for various reasons. Some started because their parents were murdered and we were raised by superheroes, others joined because we had family on the League and they wanted in on the action, and some had nowhere else to go."

"So how did you become a superhero?" Stark asked as they continued eating their dinner, intrigued by their new teammate's history. "And enough with the formalities, by the way. We're all on a first name basis with each other, and you should be, too. "

"Well, Tony," Wally began, "to understand my origin story, you need to know the lineage of the Flash."

"Speaking of which," Bruce added. "You're what, 21 right? Why keep calling yourself Kid Flash? Why not just call yourself Flash?"

"That mantle's still taken," Wally answered. "Anyway, back to storytime: Back in the 1930's Jay Garrick, the first Flash, gained his super-speed in a lab accident. With his enhanced speed, he became a founding member of the Justice Society of America, a precursor to the Justice League."

"Kind of like how the SSR was a precursor to S.H.I.E.L.D." Natasha cut in as they all finished their meals.

"Anyway," Wally continued, "Because Jay didn't keep his identity a secret, one fan, who happened to be my uncle, was able to discuss his powers and the lab accident at length and recreate the experiment. When Uncle Barry gained his own powers of super-speed, Jay retired from hero work and passed down the mantle of The Flash down to Barry."

"If only I could do that," Bruce commented forlornly.

"Don't complain, Bruce," Tony commented "You've done a remarkable job at keeping your inner rage monster in check.

"As I was saying," Wally went on, starting to get annoyed with the constant interruptions. "When I was a kid I idolized The Flash, and when I found out that my idol was my uncle, I was ecstatic. I begged him to let me be his sidekick. But Uncle Barry was a little more reluctant to take on a protégé the way Batman, Green Arrow, and Aquaman did. He refused, but that didn't stop me. I recreated the experiment that gave both Flashes their powers, but I only succeeded in blowing up my family's garage and putting myself in the hospital." Wally noticed how they all cringed when he said that.

"Uncle Barry blamed my little mishap on himself, since I had used his notes to recreate the experiment. When I got out of the hospital, I finally got my powers. As a result, Uncle Barry agreed to make me his apprentice on the condition that I followed his every order. And that's my origin story. That was about two years before we founded the team. While I was on the team, I met my girlfriend, Artemis. After we finished high school, we decided to hang up our costumes and focus on college. We both came out of retirement to help the Team and the League defeat another alien invasion. I was going to pass on the mantle to my cousin Bart, but then I got hit by the Reach's doomsday device and here I am."

When he was finished reminiscing about his past, he looked at all the Avengers to see a mixture of awe, shock, and concern on their faces.

"Fury told us that you said the last time you were conscious was 2016," Bruce began. "I'm thinking that aside from the 4-year difference, the dates and times between those two universes are exactly the same."

"Which would therefore eliminate any confusion if he shows up a month or so after he left looked a year or so older," Tony added, the beginnings of an idea starting to form in his head.

"So without any trans-universal time differences," Wally added as well, recognizing where the two were going with this. "The only challenge to sending me home is getting me out of this universe and into my own. That's going to take a lot of energy."

"Say, Natasha," he continued as he turned to the red-headed spy seated a few seats over from him, "Do you think Director Fury would mind if I helped out on the universal rift project? I have a few ideas that might work."

"I don't think he'd mind," she answered.

"I like this kid already," was all Tony could say.


	7. Major Nerdage

**This is the first of 3 (maybe 4) Wally-Avengers bonding chapters.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6: Major Nerdage:<strong>

Avengers Tower

June 27th, 2012

9:00 A.M. EST

"Are we all set?" Wally asked as he braced himself to run in the room that Tony had set up to test his maximum speed. After Wally had explained that he had never been able to break the sound barrier before, Bruce had suggested the possibility that the energy from the Reach's MFD might have given him a power boost. The three nerds in the under-construction tower were all intrigued by the idea, and were about to test it out.

"We're good to go," Tony shouted from across the room where they'd set up a speedometer to track his speed as he ran laps. "Ready to test your top speed in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…"

In an instant Wally took off, running as fast as he could push himself. He reached his old record in less than a minute, but to his surprise he could go faster still. He broke the sound barrier (and he was grateful that there weren't any windows in this test area), but he still kept accelerating. Only when he felt that he was as fast as Barry and Bart did he finally slow down.

"I take it I did well?" he asked rhetorically as he staggered over to grab the water bottle and protein bars they'd set aside to get his energy back up once he was done. He chuckled to himself when he realized that the only response he was getting from the two science experts of The Avengers was awe-struck, slack-jawed stares as they looked at the results.

"Well," Bruce mumbled as he overcame his shock, "it seems our theory has been proven correct. You broke the sound barrier in minutes, kid."

"Thanks," Wally replied. "I think my top speed is equal to Uncle Barry's now."

"So now that we've proven that the kid can break the sound barrier in sneakers," Tony spoke up. "What do we do now?" The three superheroes were silent for several minutes as they brainstormed ideas to pass the time. Director Fury was working on fabricating documents necessary for Wally to be hired by S.H.I.E.L.D., so until he was able to start training, he was stuck hanging around the tower all day. He enjoyed spending quality time with the Avengers, but he was starting to get bored. Then, an idea popped into his head.

"We could brainstorm ways to get me back to my own universe," he offered.

"Sounds like a great idea," Bruce replied.

"Not to say that we don't like having you around," Tony added as they got in the elevator to head up to the lab, "but breaking through the barrier between universes will be an interesting challenge."

"I have a theory about that," Bruce commented once they stepped out of the elevator and into the top floor laboratory. "Did you download the footage from the collapse of the P.E.G.A.S.U.S. Project after you hacked the Helicarrier's mainframe before the Battle of New York?"

"I do," Tony replied, ignoring Wally's questioning look. "I presume you'd like to re-watch it?"

"You got it," Bruce replied.

* * *

><p>"I think I see what you've got in mind, Bruce," Wally began when the video finally ended nearly an hour later. "I got zapped with all that energy because it didn't have anywhere else to go. But if we can recreate that energy nexus like the one in the video, and modify one of Tony's Iron Man suits to absorb that energy…"<p>

"We could theoretically replicate the dimensional rift and send you back to your own universe," Tony finished as he put down the beer he'd been sipping throughout the video.

"We should talk to Fury," Banner commented. "See if S.H.I.E.L.D. has recovered the Tesseract harness from the ruins of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. We either repair or recreate it and create a modified Iron Man suit, or modify one of Tony's old ones. Once we've got all that set up, we try to contact Asgard and ask to borrow the cube so we can test our idea."

"I'll go talk to Fury now," Tony offered as the three science nerds re-entered the elevator. He got off a few floors down in order to retrieve his cell phone. Bruce got out a few minutes later to make himself an early lunch.

Wally smiled as he walked back into his new quarters in the tower. There was still a lot of work to be done to get him home, but the idea that they'd come up with now was a start.

"Hang in there, guys," he said aloud even though his friends and family weren't able to hear him. "I'll find a way."

* * *

><p><strong>So now the science nerds have a plan to get Wally home. I hope I've made their plan pretty clear. If not, just PM me, and I'll rework it to be clearer.<strong>


	8. Mourning

**This chapter, like the prologue, is a reenactment of scenes from Endgame. Again, I own nothing in this story. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Mourning:<strong>

Watchtower

July 4th, 2016

21:16

"This is not the time for you to resign," Kaldur argued as he and Dick walked into the main room of the Watchtower.

"I'm not resigning," the young man replied. "Just taking a leave of absence. And besides," he continued. "If you need help, "Barbara's more than ready to step up."

"Agreed," he noted as they looked over to where the red-headed heroine was standing monitoring computer feeds. "But Dick …"

"I need a break, Kaldur," his friend interrupted. "You, me, and Wally, we founded this team," Nightwing continued, his grief evident in his voice. "Without him…"

"I understand," Kaldur finished with a sigh as the two friends stood in silence.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, the new Kid Flash stood in the memorial garden, looking up at the holographic statue of his predecessor. His mournful contemplation was interrupted by a familiar voice.<p>

"You look good," Artemis called out as she walked up to Wally's successor.

"Really?" Bart replied as he turned to face her wearing Wally's signature outfit. Though she kept a straight face, it made her tear up inside how much he looked like Wally in that outfit. "Because I feel like a fraud."

"Well don't," she said as she reached him. "You're honoring Wally's memory by becoming Kid Flash. I know he'd be proud."

"Thanks," he answered as he scratched the back of his head, sending another pang of grief through her heart as she was reminded of Wally. "So," he continued, looking at her orange attire. "You suited up. But as Tigress?"

"Artemis was Wally's partner," she answered with a mournful look on her face. It hurt just looking at the green outfit that she'd worn on countless missions with him. She'd spent the first few days after his death lying in their bed at night, sobbing until she fell asleep. It was almost a week before she was even able to leave the apartment, and another week before Kaldur finally convinced her to rejoin the team for a while to cope. "I need some distance," she went on. "I need a change, so let's see how Tigress does."

"As a hero?" Bart asked cheerfully as she put on her mask.

"As a blonde," she replied with a smirk. The pain of losing Wally was still there, but she would keep going. She knew that nobody could replace him, and she had no intentions of reentering the dating pool, but Wally would still want her to live her life. _I'll do it for him, _she thinks to herself. _For Wally._

* * *

><p><strong>Every few chapters we'll pop back in and see how everybody's doing in the Young Justice universe, but the main focus of this story will be with Wally and the Avengers. <strong>


	9. Superhuman

**Sorry this chapter took so long. Life is crazy.**

**Anyway, since last chapter Wally hung out with Iron Man and Hulk, this time, you get to see what happens when Kid Flash and Captain America go out for lunch.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: Superhuman<strong>

New York City

July 11th, 2012

12:30 P.M.

"Hey Wally," Steve whispered to the young speedster as the waitress made her way through the throngs of restaurant patrons carrying the duo's lunch. "Try not to eat at super speed, will you? We don't want to blow your cover before you've even started at S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Don't worry Steve," Wally replied with a chuckle, "I'll be careful with when I use my power."

As soon as the words left his lips, the two superheroes saw a random patron bump into the waitress, a friend of Steve's he'd met before the Chitauri invasion named Beth, knocking her and their food towards the floor. Time slowed to a crawl as Wally got up and grabbed the food and brought the waitress towards their table with super speed. After taking a moment to overcome her surprise at an averted accident, she put their food on the table.

"Here's your food, boys," she said. "Let me know if you need anything else." Once she was out of earshot, the two superheroes turned to their (considerably large in Wally's case) meals. As they ate their lunches, Steve gave the younger hero a glare that would have made Batman jealous.

"What did I say about not using your powers?" he asked as they continued their meal.

"Hey," Wally retorted jokingly. "First, it was an emergency and I prevented an accident. Second, you told me not to use my speed to eat."

While Steve finished his meal (he'd only gotten a steak with fries) Wally thought about his time in this universe so far as he made his way through his multiple plates of food. Black Widow and Hawkeye were off on various assignments for S.H.I.E.L.D. most of the time, so he hadn't really interacted with them enough to form an opinion of them. He had fun doing various science projects with Tony and Bruce, but they were several years older than him and although his pitied what had happened to Bruce, he found it difficult to bond with them despite their shared interest in science. He'd have to wait and meet Thor before making his judgment on him, though, but once he learned the backstory of Captain America, he and Steve bonded almost instantly. As a fellow fish out of water, Steve understood what he was going through and the two helped each other cope with their new environment. Wally had even convinced Steve to come up with a list of new things to try.

"You know what I meant," the super soldier shot back with a smirk. "So how's the path to heading home going?"

"Pretty well," the speedster answered as he continued his gargantuan meal. "Director Fury's trying to contact Asgard and open negotiations to borrow the Tesseract to get me home. Tony and Bruce are already working on modifying one of his newest models of armor to absorb the cube's energy." Despite the progress they were making, Wally couldn't help thinking back to the possibility of Artemis being with someone else by the time he got back. Steve noticed the concern on his friend's face and commented on it.

"You don't sound too happy," Steve commented. Wally hesitated a moment before deciding to tell the Captain what was on his mind. So far he trusted Steve and Bruce more than he trusted Tony, Clint, or Natasha.

"I'm looking forward to getting home and everything," he began. "But I;m afraid that the longer it takes, the sooner my friends and family will move on. And then my girlfriend, Artemis,"

"Will be with someone else," Steve finished as Wally finally swallowed the last of his food. "I know how you feel," he continued. "When I was finally thawed out, my girlfriend had married one of my old war buddies and already was up to grandkids. But even though she was physically older than me and living in a nursing home, we're still close friends and we still care about each other."

"I'm still a little nervous about Artemis moving on," Wally replied once Beth returned with their check. "But I get the point: even if she's recovered romantically, that doesn't mean we can't still be friends."

"Exactly," Steve answered as he put enough twenty dollar bills in with the check.

"Thanks for the advice, Steve," Wally added as the two superheroes got up and exited the restaurant, continuing to chat about their love lives and heroics.

* * *

><p><strong>So yes, Steve and Wally talk about what happened when they came back from the dead (from the point of view of others) and their loved ones had moved on. And yes, Beth is the woman who saw Steve without his mask on and thanked him and the Avengers on TV (If you want to re-watch the movie to check, her first line was "What? That this was somehow their fault?" <strong>


	10. Orientation

**Sorry for the wait. I'll try to have chapter 10 up within the next 2 weeks.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: Orientation: <strong>

Location Classified

July 18th, 2012

12:00 P.M. Time Zone Classified

Wally couldn't help but be impressed as Agents Barton and Romanov escorted him through the corridors of The Hub, which he was told was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secondary base of operations. Despite his better judgment, he couldn't help but stare with awestruck joy at everything he saw, from the medical facilities to the research labs. Since nobody had paid any notice of him (in part due to his companions' reputations being the topic of every whispered conversation he overheard), he figured it was safe to assume that his astonished behavior was typical of most recruits on their first day. _If this is only their back-up base, _he thought as he and his escorts arrived at an interview room deep in the heart of the base's labyrinthine network of tunnels, _I can't wait to see the main HQ. _

His musings ended as he walked into the room to find Director Fury and Commander Hill seated around a small, circular table. To Fury's left was a woman he'd never seen before. She was wearing glasses and looked to be somewhere between Black Canary's age and his mother's. Her brown hair was died a dull red at the tips. As Barton and Romanov (they had insisted he never refer to them by their first names when on duty) took their seats, the woman stood up and shook his hand.

"Agent Victoria Hand," she introduced herself. "I oversee all operations run out of The Hub."

"Wally West," the speedster reciprocated the introduction before they sat down. As Wally glanced nervously towards Fury to inquire how much Agent Hand knew, the director spoke.

"Agent Hand has been briefed on everything regarding your situation, and has been sworn to secrecy," Fury began. "Because of the technology and research involved in getting you home, we've decided to create a top-secret division of S.H.I.E.L.D. to deal with inter-dimensional incidents and visitors like you."

"What about keeping him a secret from the Council?" Romanov spoke up. "Surely somebody involved with the project would spill the beans if the council were do a progress review."

"Which is why only a select few will be asked to join this unit," Fury replied as he passed out manila folders to everyone. "The group will consist of the scientists involved with the P.E.G.A.S.U.S. project, Mr. Stark, Dr. Banner, Captain Rogers, and the six of us. Stark and Banner will assist Dr. Selvig and the research team with construction of the O.R.P.H.E.U.S. project."

"O.R.P.H.E.U.S. Project?" Barton interrupted curiously.

"We're Trying to send a guy presumed dead in his own universe back to the land of the living," Fury answered, growing irritated at the constant interruptions.

_Pretty fitting name, _Wally thought to himself. _Kind of reminds me of Cadmus. _Thinking about home made his heart ache more, but he took a deep breath and returned his thoughts to the conversation at hand.

"Agent Hand will supervise the division," Fury continued. "Everybody involved in the O.R.P.H.E.U.S. Project will report directly to her and no one else. Hand will answer to Commander Hill and she to me. And you, _Agent _West, will serve as an accuracy consultant to the research team while serving as a forensic analyst for S.H.I.E.L.D. in the meantime."

"Accuracy consultant?" Wally inquired, unsure of what the director meant.

"When we test our probe we need to make sure it goes to the right universe," the one-eyed man answered.

"That makes sense," the newly-recruited S.H.I.E.L.D. agent replied as he leaned back in his chair. "So what will this new division be called?'

"The Alternate Reality Monitoring and Operation Response Program," Agent Hand spoke up. "A.R.M.O.R. for short."

* * *

><p><strong>I've not much of a Marvel Comics buff, so I know that A.R.M.O.R. isn't like this in the comics. But since it's confirmed to exist in the MCU but not really elaborated on, I felt I could safely re-purpose it to suit this story without contradicting the MCU so far. <strong>


End file.
